


Boom, Flash, Lightning Crash

by Redrikki



Category: Black Lightning (TV)
Genre: Canon Character of Color, Family Feels, Female Character of Color, Gen, Super hero names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 21:07:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14434092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: If I'm joining your little super hero team, I'm gonna need a cool code name.





	Boom, Flash, Lightning Crash

"If I'm joining your little superhero team, I'm gonna need a cool code name," Jennifer said apropos of nothing in the middle of family dinner.

The sounds of eating stopped as everyone froze. Her parents exchanged a look and Mom carefully laid her silverware down. 

"Jen, sweetie--" Mom reached across the table to take her hand "--are you sure this is what you want?" she asked, looking deep into Jennifer's eyes like she could see the answer there. "No one wants you to feel pressure either way." She gave Jennifer's hand one of those patented mom comfort squeezes. 

It was funny. Just last week, Jennifer had been begging Mom to cure the curse that made her destroy cellphones and burn holes in pillows. Then she'd brought Dad back from the dead, rescued a bunch of missing kids, and laid a righteous smack down on some black-ops asshole, and everything changed. Yeah, signing up for the family superhero squad meant being on the opposite side as Khalil and a whole lot of scary-ass bad guys, but they'd already been gunning for her anyway. At least this way, it'd be on her terms. Jennifer wasn't Dad or Harriet, thinking she was some sort of savior, but she could help and she was done playing the victim. 

"Yeah, Mom," she said with a smile, "I'm sure." 

"Alright." Mom's answering smile was more worried than proud, but Jennifer didn't exactly blame her. She gave Jennifer's hand one last squeeze and went back to her dinner. "Are we sticking with the electricity theme?" she asked in a deliberately light tone as she cut off a bite-sized piece of her meat with near-surgical precision.

"I guess." Jennifer reached for a drink. "How did you come up with Black Lightning, Dad?"

"I, ah--"he nervously wiped his lips with his napkin "--well. I didn't."

Jennifer's eyebrows shot up and Anissa's weren't far behind. "Seriously? What? Did Uncle Gambi--"

"No." Dad shook his head. "I'm black, I shoot lightning, hence Black Lightning. Someone in the press came up with it and the name just--" he shrugged "--stuck."

"For real?" Jennifer scoffed. "This is why I need to get out ahead of this name thing before the internet starts calling me Miss Black Lightning Junior or something."

"What are you gonna do?" Anissa asked, grabbing a bread roll and mopping up some puddles of sauce. "Stand on a street corner and shout 'look out, world, here comes The Flash?"

"Ah, no." Jennifer rolled her eyes. She'd been fantasizing about rescuing some hot guy and revealing her awesome code name as he gazed at her in grateful wonder, but it wasn't exactly efficient. "Who shouts on street corners? I'm gonna post an introductory video to a Black Lightning fan page like a normal person." She ripped off a chunk of her own roll and shoved it in her mouth. "And my name's gonna be way cooler than 'The Flash,'" she added, throwing up some air quotes. "The Flash." She snorted. "Sounds like I'm about to jump out on someone in a trench coat." 

Dad's shoulders shook and his lips twitched with suppressed amusement. "What about Dynamo?" he suggested once he got his face back under control. 

"One of those old-time power generators?" Jennifer chewed as she considered. "Doesn't really fit the weather thing you guys have got going."

"Hence 'The Flash,'" said Anissa with some air quotes of her own and Jennifer shot her an I-will-fry-you-with-my-lightning look. "Alright, alright." Anissa threw up her hands in mock surrender. "How about Storm?"

Jennifer pursed her lips. "Maybe if I could control the weather."

Mom, who had been watching the whole thing like a spectator at a sporting event, pointedly cleared her throat. "How about--" she paused for dramatic effect "--Lightning?"

"Lightning," Jennifer repeated, liking the taste the name in her mouth. Not Black Lightning or Girl Lightning. Just Lightning. Like she was the true one and only, no qualifiers needed. A slow smile spread across her lips. "I like it."

"Alright," Dad nodded. "It's settled." He raised his glass. "To Lightning!"

"To Lightning!" they chorused and drank. 

Jennifer smiled to herself as she set her glass down. Well, that was one thing settled. Now all she needed was Uncle Gambi to make her a sweet-ass costume and she'd be ready to go. Look out, world, here comes Lightning.


End file.
